Phonograph-reproducer.



A. N. PIERMAN. PHONOGRAPH BEPRODUGER. APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 18. 1909 Patented May 2, 1911.

fi v V 7 a Z [M w\ 5 0 70? J. W 9 a 4 21% Q. J W Z UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNIE .AS5 1IGN- MENTS, TO THOMAS A. EDISON, INCORPORATED, 013 WEST ORANGE. NEW JER$EY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

3 HONOGRAPH-REPRODUCER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

lzl-tol'itctl May 18, 19.11.

Application filed September 18, 1909. Serial No. 518,4l3.

To all wlzmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER PJICR- MAN, a citizen of the Vnited States. and a resident of Newark, in. the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful ln'iprovements in lhonograph-lleproducers, of which the fol lowing is a description.

My invention relates to phonograph reproducers of the pneumatic type, or, generally speaking, of the type in which undulations corresponding to sound waves are impressed upon a current of any suitable moving fluid by the operation of a suitable valve through. which thctluid is allowed or caused to pass, the valve being operated in accordance with the sound waves as by connection with a reproducing stylus tracking arecord groove.

The object of my invention is to improve the quality of sound reproduction of a device of this character by the production of anovel valve structure, the valve being extremely thin, very flexible, and of inconsiderable weight, so that defects due to momentum and inertia of parts are avoided and a more faithful reproduction obtained.

Other objects of my invention are the cons'truction of parts and combinations of elements necessary or desirable for the attainment of the above mentioned object, as more particularly pointed out in the. following spccificatiomand claimed in theappended claims.

Reference is herebymade to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention, in which-- Figure '1 is a central vertical section through a phonograph reproducer embodying my invention, certain parts being shown in side elevation; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the port plate with the valve mounted thereon and covering the port.

Iteferrin to the drawings, the sound box 1 may be fbrmcd with two chambers 2 and 3 communicating through the port tin the port plate 5,,air-being conducted into the chamber 3 by means of a conduit 6 and escaping figom the chamber 2 through the reroducer neck 7. The chamber 3 is closed y the closure 8 which is secured in position against a shoulder formed in the circular wall of the chamber 3 b means of the ring 9 which is screwed into t e depending flange 10 of the cylinder 11. which is screwed within. the depending flange l2 tlorn'icd integral. with the re 'noducer neck 7. The port plate 5 is secured in position between the upper surface of cylinder ll and gasket 1?. which is forced into close contact with shoulder 1 t within flange 19 when members 11 and 12 are screwed together. The floating weight 15 is pivotally mounted at 16 to the block 17. whicl is mounted as by screw 18 on the lower surface of the depending flange 10. The stylus lever 19 is pivotally mounted at 20 to the lugs 21 depending from the float ing weight 15 and the said stylus lever is provided with stylus 22, all of the above mentioned parts being common.

The port 4, which is preferably in the form of a lengthened slit as shown, is normally closed by means of the valve member 23 seated upon the port plate 5 to cover the port l. The valve member 23 is extremely thin; being preferably formed of any suitable sheet metal rolled .to a thickness of from one to two one-thousandths of an inch. I have found it impossible to cause material of such excessive thinness to lie evenly upon a flat surface, since the tendency to curl or become deformed locally out- 0f contact with the surface upon which it is'placed is unavoidable. Such a thin film or sheet can, however, be placed upon a convexly curved surface and can be stretched or held under pressure upon the same so that it will con form closely to the curved surface and fit accurately upon the same without deformation throughout its whole area. I have applied this principle to thethin valve member of my present invention, and am enabled thereby to. make use of a valve member having the characteristics above described. Accordingly, the port plate 5 is formed upon its upper surface with a re ularly curved convex surface 2t, this curve surface preferabi; having the periphery of a circle, the

slit or lengthened port 4 having its upper orifice located within the same and extendinf along the diameter of the circle. The valve member 23 is secured to the port plate at one of its ends by any suitable means, as the screw 25 which is located at one edge of the swelling orcurve 24. The other end of valve 23 rests upon the curved surface 24 beyond the end of port 4, yielding means as 26 secured to port plate 5 by any the screw 27 being em the spring suitable means as valve 23 .to raise the same to. the

ployed to press upon this end of valve 23 and normally retain the same in position upon its seat. Spring 26 tends to counterbalance the pressure of the air or other fluid admitted into chamber 3 from conduit 6, so that when the fluid is admitted the valve .is raised slightly from its seat to allowaslight normal leak of the fluid from .the port.

Spring 26 also performs the functionof overcoming. the tendency of the thln ma terial of which valve 23 is formed to curve or become distorted, and holds the same accurately in contact throughout its length with its" curved seat. Valve 23 is connected by means of link 28 to the tailof stylus lever 19, whereby the movements of stylus 22 in tracking the-sound record to be reproduced are accurately reproduced 'bythe vibration of valve 23, the extent of the opening of port'& being varied according to undulations impressed upon' the current. of fluid moving through rt 4, these undulat'ions corres onding faithfully with the undulations o the record groove being tracked by the stylus 22. i

In the construction shown, link 28 extends through a central orifice in valve 23 and is connect-ed thereto by the ball or upset end 29 on the top of link 28, forming a one-way .connection, although it is obvious that link sound box, in which case, curved sur ace'24 would be located u on the lower surface of plate 5 and valve 2 seated thereu on. It is also obvious that, if desired, a p urality of.

p'orts {might be employed, each with its corresponding valve 23'.

Having now described my invention,

what' l claim and desire to .protect by Letcopies of this patent may bcobtained for-five cents each, by addressing the fliommissioncr of Patents,

"*te'rs Patent is as fol ows:

1. In a phonogra h reproducer, the 'com bination with a hog communicating through a port, ofa port plate inwhichsaid ortisifornied, a .p0r

tion ofpnesur'face o sajd rplate adjacent to;

an opening of said port :being curved, an; extremely thin 'valve nemberofelastic mai 'terial seatedsnugly ijjipon said curved surface "and covering-said port, and means fo'r y containing chambers vibrating said member to uncover the said ..port to a greater or less extent in accordance curved surface and having a port extending therethrough with one orifice thereof situ ated in sald surface, and a valve member seated upon said port and conforming closely to said surface, substantially as described. x

3. In a ph'onogra h reproducer, the com bination with a body containingchambers communicatingthrough a port, of a port plate in which said. ort is formed, a portion of one surface of sand plate being regularly curved, one orifice ofsaid port being situated in said curved surface, an extremely thin valve member of elasticimaterial seated upon said surface and conforming closely thereto when at rest, and covering said port,

and means for flexing said' member, to unr;

cover said port. to a greater or less extent in accordance'withsound vibrations, substan tially as described.

4. In a phonograph reproducer, the combination with a body. containing chambers communicating through a port, of a port plate in which said port is formed, a portion of one surface of said plate being regularly curved,- one orifice of said port being situated in said curved surface, an extremely thin valve member of elastic material seated upon said surface and conforming closely thereto when at rest, and eoverin said port, means for introducing fluid un er pressure within one of said chambers, means tending to hold said valve on its seat against the pressure of said fluid,'and means for flexing said member to-u'ncover said port to a greater or less extent in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

5.. In a honograph re roducer, the combination oi a one surface port late avin formed with a regularly curved portion and having a port, extending therethrough with one orifice thereof'situated in said curved surface, an extremely thin flexible valve member seated upon said port and conforming closely. to said surface, means securing said member in position, and yielding means tendin to hold said member on its seat, substantia 1y as described.

This specification signed; and witnessed this 16th day ofSeptember ALEXAN ER NT-PIERMAN,

Witnesses:

-' ,Dmn Samara Joint M. Ganrrsm: 

